A pearlescent paint composition comprising a film-former and a solids material comprising a pearlizing effective amount of a pearlizing compound, a hiding material and a pigment, the improvement wherein the pigment is white and the hiding material is selected from the groups consisting of metals selected from particulate aluminum, zinc, copper, nickel, stainless steel and alloys thereof, and compounds selected from aluminum oxide, aluminum silicate, hydrated magnesium aluminum silicate, silica, mica aluminum silicate, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate, calcium metasilicate, anhydrous sodium potassium aluminum silicate, sodium aluminum silicate, alumina trihydrate and barium sulphate in, respective, effective whitening and hiding amounts. Preferably, the pearlizing compound is a mica, the hiding material is particulate aluminum and the white pigment is titanium. The combination of the three types of compounds in the desired pearlescent finishes, particularly on vehicle bodies, provides the most advantageous option of requiring only a two-coat system.